New Avengers 24, Secret Six 5
New Avengers #24
In this issue, the Sentry goes of by himself to think, and--because he can--he goes to the moon to do so. While he's there, the Inhumans (who live there) attack him because they are at war with the US (due to the US having taken possession of the Inhumans' Terrigen Mists after Quicksilver stole them). When he explains himself, they invite him to dinner and to stay the night. While there, he tells them something about his past relations with them (which of course they have no memory of). On the whole a good issue featuring the Sentry's outsider perspective; he is of necessity very self-focused, a disadvantage when dealing with community issues such as Civil War.
A thing I found irritating, but couldn't really argue with, was Crystal's portrayal as a morally ambiguous individual. After learning that she and the Sentry had been lovers in the past (at a point when she and the Human Torch, an old boyfriend, had temporarily split up), the two kiss. The Sentry, remembering his wife, stops, and tells Crystal that he's married. She pauses, saying "But--only on Earth, right?" (And then Iron Man shows up to save him from certain temptation. That and to talk him into coming back to Earth to beat up on Captain America.)
All right. Crystal has almost always been presented as someone who leads with her heart. "Faithful" has never been the first thing you'd think of to describe her. I am not, therefore, objecting to her approaching the Sentry in this way, or to her obvious willingness under certain circumstances to go after a married man. It is not out of character. What I would have liked to see, however, is something of the source of this--it's not simply moral ambiguity, it's also arrogance--as an Inhuman, royalty, she has less respect for the rules and customs of Earth than she does for those of her own people. Just calling her a bad person doesn't really address it.
Secret Six #5
Okay, I was wrong. Neither Knockout nor Deadshot were under the control of others when they had sex. (I do think that we were supposed to think this, and I'd sure like to know which of the two was saying "no" last issue.) Instead, Knockout has no idea that--on Earth--love relationships are usually supposed to be sexually exclusive. (As for Deadshot, he might have figured that if Knockout was all right with it, Scandal must be as well--and wasn't inclined to think it out much further than that at the moment.) Actually, I like that a lot better.
Oh, and I also like the Hatter even more now, and I wouldn't have thought that possible!
Monday, October 30, 2006
The October 06 Comics, Part 3 [Spoilers]
Green Lantern Corps 5, Ion 7, Irredeemable Ant-Man 1, Martian Manhunter 3, Ms.Marvel 8
Green Lantern Corps #5
Well, I'm giving this one another month or so. This issue had a nice focus on Soranik Natu, including her return to her homeworld--the one that hates Green Lanterns? (And apparently they're not unique in the universe in this respect.) The Guy Gardner section was also entertaining, and I'm glad to see that I wasn't the only one who thought it was probably a bad idea for him to take of his ring. Particularly since he's apparently got an on-call sort of job now.
Ion #7
An uneventful issue, with Kyle basically hanging out with various old friends, in flashbacks and otherwise. I still don't like the new costume much. Still not enjoying the art particularly. It's going into the home stretch now, though, an I'm looking forward to seeing the payoff, so I'll stick with it.
Irredeemable Ant-Man #1
A fun look into the lower levels o SHIELD, which apparently draws from the same worker pool as any number of Marvel villains in need of not-too-bright goons. Several cute bits, including Ant-Man asking a rescu-ee or a date. I can see this one potentially becoming a favorite.
Since my husband doesn't like DC and doesn't like Civil War, this was pretty much it for him to read this month.
Martian Manhunter #3
I've wanted to like this miniseries, and went in with positive expectations, but I've stopped adding it to my get list. It's just not holding my interest anymore. (Hopefully other comic bloggers will fill me in if there's anything I absolutely need to know here!)
Ms. Marvel #8
I guess I can add Carol to the list of virtually-unrecognizable characters of Civil War. Well, she's in better shape than Reed or Tony, but she, too, is going to need some serious fixing after CW is over.
All right. Carol is confident while she's in action, but subject to doubt after the heat of battle is over. Some folks have stressed Carol's military background and I think she does have a tendency to defer to authority in some situations. But the situation here--beating the crap out of Julia Carpenter right in front of her young daughter--has got to be something she never considered when she signed up for this duty. Unfortunately, I don't think her doubts are enough to set her thinking--she seems more to be looking for a way to assuage her own guilt (thinking that she could offer to pay for Julia's daughter's education) in this specific case than wondering how it could have come about in the first place.
Actually, I feel a little funny saying that CW has made certain characters unrecognizable, because I've certainly had the experience, as I'm sure we all have, of being surprised when an acquaintance I thought shared my opinion on an important issue in fact held the opposing view. It's not really safe to assume that everyone who holds one point of view shares all of the related views as well, and that shouldn't be any more the case in comics than in real life, but I think we expect more consistency from our fictional friends.
Green Lantern Corps #5
Well, I'm giving this one another month or so. This issue had a nice focus on Soranik Natu, including her return to her homeworld--the one that hates Green Lanterns? (And apparently they're not unique in the universe in this respect.) The Guy Gardner section was also entertaining, and I'm glad to see that I wasn't the only one who thought it was probably a bad idea for him to take of his ring. Particularly since he's apparently got an on-call sort of job now.
Ion #7
An uneventful issue, with Kyle basically hanging out with various old friends, in flashbacks and otherwise. I still don't like the new costume much. Still not enjoying the art particularly. It's going into the home stretch now, though, an I'm looking forward to seeing the payoff, so I'll stick with it.
Irredeemable Ant-Man #1
A fun look into the lower levels o SHIELD, which apparently draws from the same worker pool as any number of Marvel villains in need of not-too-bright goons. Several cute bits, including Ant-Man asking a rescu-ee or a date. I can see this one potentially becoming a favorite.
Since my husband doesn't like DC and doesn't like Civil War, this was pretty much it for him to read this month.
Martian Manhunter #3
I've wanted to like this miniseries, and went in with positive expectations, but I've stopped adding it to my get list. It's just not holding my interest anymore. (Hopefully other comic bloggers will fill me in if there's anything I absolutely need to know here!)
Ms. Marvel #8
I guess I can add Carol to the list of virtually-unrecognizable characters of Civil War. Well, she's in better shape than Reed or Tony, but she, too, is going to need some serious fixing after CW is over.
All right. Carol is confident while she's in action, but subject to doubt after the heat of battle is over. Some folks have stressed Carol's military background and I think she does have a tendency to defer to authority in some situations. But the situation here--beating the crap out of Julia Carpenter right in front of her young daughter--has got to be something she never considered when she signed up for this duty. Unfortunately, I don't think her doubts are enough to set her thinking--she seems more to be looking for a way to assuage her own guilt (thinking that she could offer to pay for Julia's daughter's education) in this specific case than wondering how it could have come about in the first place.
Actually, I feel a little funny saying that CW has made certain characters unrecognizable, because I've certainly had the experience, as I'm sure we all have, of being surprised when an acquaintance I thought shared my opinion on an important issue in fact held the opposing view. It's not really safe to assume that everyone who holds one point of view shares all of the related views as well, and that shouldn't be any more the case in comics than in real life, but I think we expect more consistency from our fictional friends.
The October '06 Comics, Part 2 [Spoilers]
Birds of Prey 99, Captain America 23, Civil War: Front Line 7, Fantastic Four 540, Flash 5
Birds of Prey 99
We (that's not the royal we, that's me plus the kids) still like the new Batgirl, or whoever she ends up being. I'm kind of sorry that I didn't start reading this title earlier, because Black Canary is leaving now and I don't know that I'll like her replacement (whoever that may be) as well. But a good issue with a few light moments, a few heavy moments, a few laughs. Still enjoying it, although it's not on the "keep at all costs" list at this point..
Captain America 23
Despite the total lack of Captain America in in this issue, this is one of my favorite books of the month. The focus was almost entirely on the Winter Soldier, who has been quickly becoming a favorite even apart from his connection with Cap and the Golden Age. And I'm always happy to see Fury, even a holographic Fury. I found the Civil War discussion a little tedious; although it did serve to illustrate how alienated Bucky is from any sort of community, I'm not sure it gave the outsider perspective that was intended. But all in all, a good read.
Art-wise, I wasn't as pleased with Perkins' pencils as I have been in the past--they seemed a little rushed--but I'm certainly not complaining about them.
Civil War: Front Line 7
The big scenes this issue were Speedball's, of course (hard to avoid attention when you've been shot. I'm not all that familiar with him, know almost nothing about the New Warriors, but as far as his portrayal here goes, it's been decent--his mixed motives, the changes he's gone through since the event at the school--all have been as subtle as one can usually expect in a comic.
For me, though, the strnegth of the issue was the scene with Sally Floyd and Congressman Sykes, when although he disagrees with her, he gets her out of jail because she shouldn't be there. It's one of very few sympathetic moments for the pro-registration side, particularly notable since Sykes is such an unsympathetic character, and it was fairly well done.
Fantastic Four 540
I somehow missed out on the issue of Civil War in which Sue left Reed, although I've read a bit about it online. So of course I'm going to start this discussion with my thoughts on something I haven't even read.
In that version, so I've heard, before she leaves, Sue makes Reed dinner and has sex with him. I know a lot of folks have criticized this portrayal, and I can see the point there, absolutely. My own thought, though, as a married woman, is that sex between long-time partners isn't just sex, it's also a moment of emotional closeness when any distance that may have built up can be removed. I can see how Sue may have hoped that, through this physical union, she and Reed might be able to recapture some of their bond. She may have seen it as a last chance to connect with Reed in a meaningful way (since clearly talking to him hadn't done it).
The cooking dinner part, though, that was just silly. :)
On the whole I think I prefer the version given in this book. In it, Reed shows some humanity--he doesn't seem altogether sure of his decision, although now that he's made it he does seem likely to stick with it. But there's room for doubt here.
Flash 5
I enjoyed this issue more than I have any of the others. Possibly this book has found its stride! Possibly I'll rethink my decision to drop it, although I'm not holding my breath (I have more incentive to drop books than to keep them, honestly, given the cost of comics these days.) But hey, possible reprieve! And, bonus Jay Garrick sighting!
Birds of Prey 99
We (that's not the royal we, that's me plus the kids) still like the new Batgirl, or whoever she ends up being. I'm kind of sorry that I didn't start reading this title earlier, because Black Canary is leaving now and I don't know that I'll like her replacement (whoever that may be) as well. But a good issue with a few light moments, a few heavy moments, a few laughs. Still enjoying it, although it's not on the "keep at all costs" list at this point..
Captain America 23
Despite the total lack of Captain America in in this issue, this is one of my favorite books of the month. The focus was almost entirely on the Winter Soldier, who has been quickly becoming a favorite even apart from his connection with Cap and the Golden Age. And I'm always happy to see Fury, even a holographic Fury. I found the Civil War discussion a little tedious; although it did serve to illustrate how alienated Bucky is from any sort of community, I'm not sure it gave the outsider perspective that was intended. But all in all, a good read.
Art-wise, I wasn't as pleased with Perkins' pencils as I have been in the past--they seemed a little rushed--but I'm certainly not complaining about them.
Civil War: Front Line 7
The big scenes this issue were Speedball's, of course (hard to avoid attention when you've been shot. I'm not all that familiar with him, know almost nothing about the New Warriors, but as far as his portrayal here goes, it's been decent--his mixed motives, the changes he's gone through since the event at the school--all have been as subtle as one can usually expect in a comic.
For me, though, the strnegth of the issue was the scene with Sally Floyd and Congressman Sykes, when although he disagrees with her, he gets her out of jail because she shouldn't be there. It's one of very few sympathetic moments for the pro-registration side, particularly notable since Sykes is such an unsympathetic character, and it was fairly well done.
Fantastic Four 540
I somehow missed out on the issue of Civil War in which Sue left Reed, although I've read a bit about it online. So of course I'm going to start this discussion with my thoughts on something I haven't even read.
In that version, so I've heard, before she leaves, Sue makes Reed dinner and has sex with him. I know a lot of folks have criticized this portrayal, and I can see the point there, absolutely. My own thought, though, as a married woman, is that sex between long-time partners isn't just sex, it's also a moment of emotional closeness when any distance that may have built up can be removed. I can see how Sue may have hoped that, through this physical union, she and Reed might be able to recapture some of their bond. She may have seen it as a last chance to connect with Reed in a meaningful way (since clearly talking to him hadn't done it).
The cooking dinner part, though, that was just silly. :)
On the whole I think I prefer the version given in this book. In it, Reed shows some humanity--he doesn't seem altogether sure of his decision, although now that he's made it he does seem likely to stick with it. But there's room for doubt here.
Flash 5
I enjoyed this issue more than I have any of the others. Possibly this book has found its stride! Possibly I'll rethink my decision to drop it, although I'm not holding my breath (I have more incentive to drop books than to keep them, honestly, given the cost of comics these days.) But hey, possible reprieve! And, bonus Jay Garrick sighting!
The October '06 Comics, Part 1[Spoilers]
52 22-25, All-NewAtom 4
52 #22
I'm not sure why I seem to rarely have much to say about the 52 books. I like them, I find them interesting, but with so many strings of story running through them it's hard to find a strong focus. So I'll just mention a few things that struck me. Luthor's blind certainty that Supernova is Superman--I don't read Superman, but is it usual for Luthor to be this centered on him? He hates him, yet wants desperately to be like him (thus his repeated attempts to gain superpowers for himself). Best thing in this issue was Doc Magnus' conversation with Mercury.
52 #23
Mostly a Black Adam and Isis issue, which means more of Montoya and the Question (yay!). Does the Question have any powers apart from the changing-face thing, btw? (And, of course, his ability to provide a few light moments in an otherwise grim and gritty situation.) But I'm following Black Adam and Isis with some interest--I like Isis, and I hope I still do by the end of 52.
Do I think there has been a genuine change in Black Adam? No, not really--it could happen over time, but I think that without Isis' presence he'd be looking for quicker and more personally satisfying means to his ends.
My favorite bits, btw, were of the Evil Scientist Tropical Island Paradise. Finally the bad guys put together a secret HQ and it's not in a dark, damp castle or at the bottom of a volcano--it's in a vacation spot complete with margaritas and bikini-clad lovelies. (I'm assuming that the bikini-clad lovelies are in fact lab assistants with numerous advanced degrees. I'll be so disappointed if that's not so.)
52 #24
Isis' brother seems to be adapting well to his new power level; I can't help but think that there's something in the works here, however, and that Osiris is heading for something unfortunate. I hope that's not so, but it seems likely.
And the "New Justice League"? I'm not sure why any super-group forming would choose that name for themselves at this point, particularly given the level of power this group seems to have.
52 #25
The Ralph Dibny storyline is starting to drag a little, but I expect it will pick up soon enough. It was good to see Green Lantern Alan Scott. It was good to see more of the evil scientist spring break party. It was good so see a little more of how the Black Adam family works together.
Like I said, I do like Isis, but I'm hoping that her role as stabilizing influence doesn't become her primary identity. For one thing, it's stereotypical. For another, it really just sets her up to be killed--if she's all that's keeping Black Adam in check, if anything happens to her, well, drama ensues. (Now, something interesting --and I'm not saying do this, because I don't think they should do this, I'm just calling it more interesting--would be for Osiris to be killed or injured and Isis to lose it in that manner.) There's nothing wrong with being a peacemaker, but if she's only used to contrast Black Adam and act as a buffer, there's not going to be much interesting going on with her.
All-New Atom #4
Four issues into it and a change of artist, and I'm still loving the heck out of this book! Lately it's been the most reliably fun thing on my get list. And so much fun! Alien grammar, giant naked Dr. Zuul, Ryan's support team of eccentric academics doing their scientific thing, and finally the real threat--dad shows up to take our hero home! I'm glad that "Atom" starts with "A" because that puts it at the top of the stack :).
I do think it's possible that the humor (which I'm enjoying, no question of that!) could overtake the story at some point, but so far that hasn't happened and there's a been a good balance of almost-Silver-Age sensibility and modern attitude.
52 #22
I'm not sure why I seem to rarely have much to say about the 52 books. I like them, I find them interesting, but with so many strings of story running through them it's hard to find a strong focus. So I'll just mention a few things that struck me. Luthor's blind certainty that Supernova is Superman--I don't read Superman, but is it usual for Luthor to be this centered on him? He hates him, yet wants desperately to be like him (thus his repeated attempts to gain superpowers for himself). Best thing in this issue was Doc Magnus' conversation with Mercury.
52 #23
Mostly a Black Adam and Isis issue, which means more of Montoya and the Question (yay!). Does the Question have any powers apart from the changing-face thing, btw? (And, of course, his ability to provide a few light moments in an otherwise grim and gritty situation.) But I'm following Black Adam and Isis with some interest--I like Isis, and I hope I still do by the end of 52.
Do I think there has been a genuine change in Black Adam? No, not really--it could happen over time, but I think that without Isis' presence he'd be looking for quicker and more personally satisfying means to his ends.
My favorite bits, btw, were of the Evil Scientist Tropical Island Paradise. Finally the bad guys put together a secret HQ and it's not in a dark, damp castle or at the bottom of a volcano--it's in a vacation spot complete with margaritas and bikini-clad lovelies. (I'm assuming that the bikini-clad lovelies are in fact lab assistants with numerous advanced degrees. I'll be so disappointed if that's not so.)
52 #24
Isis' brother seems to be adapting well to his new power level; I can't help but think that there's something in the works here, however, and that Osiris is heading for something unfortunate. I hope that's not so, but it seems likely.
And the "New Justice League"? I'm not sure why any super-group forming would choose that name for themselves at this point, particularly given the level of power this group seems to have.
52 #25
The Ralph Dibny storyline is starting to drag a little, but I expect it will pick up soon enough. It was good to see Green Lantern Alan Scott. It was good to see more of the evil scientist spring break party. It was good so see a little more of how the Black Adam family works together.
Like I said, I do like Isis, but I'm hoping that her role as stabilizing influence doesn't become her primary identity. For one thing, it's stereotypical. For another, it really just sets her up to be killed--if she's all that's keeping Black Adam in check, if anything happens to her, well, drama ensues. (Now, something interesting --and I'm not saying do this, because I don't think they should do this, I'm just calling it more interesting--would be for Osiris to be killed or injured and Isis to lose it in that manner.) There's nothing wrong with being a peacemaker, but if she's only used to contrast Black Adam and act as a buffer, there's not going to be much interesting going on with her.
All-New Atom #4
Four issues into it and a change of artist, and I'm still loving the heck out of this book! Lately it's been the most reliably fun thing on my get list. And so much fun! Alien grammar, giant naked Dr. Zuul, Ryan's support team of eccentric academics doing their scientific thing, and finally the real threat--dad shows up to take our hero home! I'm glad that "Atom" starts with "A" because that puts it at the top of the stack :).
I do think it's possible that the humor (which I'm enjoying, no question of that!) could overtake the story at some point, but so far that hasn't happened and there's a been a good balance of almost-Silver-Age sensibility and modern attitude.
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Because everyone else is doing it...
I was curious, and checked the keywords folks have been using to access my site over the last few months. Granted that I don't get a lot of traffic so there aren't a lot, but here are the top 20:
1 Pepper Potts (Pepper's cool. :))
2 her arm stump breast (Um...ick?)
3 appropriate comics
4 who wants to be a super hero fat momma
5 jla tower babel 2000
6 blindfolded rescue mission superhero (Sounds like a good story I haven't read.)
7 brainfreeze blogspot (Hey, someone actually looking for me! :))
8 brainfreeze gmbh creative solution network (Heh. Not.)
9 "dc superheroes action figures"
10 brainfreeze
11 comic longboxes
12 love creator (I'm guessing they didn't find what they wanted at my place.)
13 what are superhero comics
14 "GOLDEN PERFECT"
15 outcome of "who wants to be a superhero"?
16 comics on decisions
17 Greer Nelson and Tony Stark (Someone's looking for fanfic!)
18 marvel pepper potts
19 brainfreeze cartoon
20 marvel zombies ironman figure (I'd buy that! I think.)
1 Pepper Potts (Pepper's cool. :))
2 her arm stump breast (Um...ick?)
3 appropriate comics
4 who wants to be a super hero fat momma
5 jla tower babel 2000
6 blindfolded rescue mission superhero (Sounds like a good story I haven't read.)
7 brainfreeze blogspot (Hey, someone actually looking for me! :))
8 brainfreeze gmbh creative solution network (Heh. Not.)
9 "dc superheroes action figures"
10 brainfreeze
11 comic longboxes
12 love creator (I'm guessing they didn't find what they wanted at my place.)
13 what are superhero comics
14 "GOLDEN PERFECT"
15 outcome of "who wants to be a superhero"?
16 comics on decisions
17 Greer Nelson and Tony Stark (Someone's looking for fanfic!)
18 marvel pepper potts
19 brainfreeze cartoon
20 marvel zombies ironman figure (I'd buy that! I think.)
Friday, October 27, 2006
Comics that make me buy comics (or, JLA as gateway drug)
I admit it. I've got a history of doing just what the comic companies want me to, and starting to buy one book because I already enjoy another related title.
The Avengers did this to me. I started buying Iron Man when I was in high school, because I liked him in the Avengers. Same with Captain America (although that one didn't stick after it reached a certain level of miserable, and didn't make a reappearance until Brubaker). And I never did go for Thor, come to think of it... But miniseries? Yeah, I bought the Hawkeye mini. Decent, but clear evidence that the guy couldn't possibly support his own title. Spinoffs? Bought and enjoyed West Coast Avengers for as long as it lasted. (I don't count Ms. Marvel or the Spider-Woman mini because they have strong nostalgia value of their own, and She-Hulk is in a class by herself.)
The X-Men did this to me, gods help me, way back when. Uncanny. Astonishing. No-adjective. X-Factor. Excalibur (easily the best at that time). That, of course, worked against 'em because X-Men Crossover Syndrome was one of the things that drove me away from comics for ten years. Yeah, I'm still bitter. Still won't touch an X-Men book. (That's an exaggeration. The twelve-year-old gets New X-Men and I usually read it. But I buy none for myself!)
More recently, my long-term fondness for Fantastic Four led me to get the Human Torch mini and the much-mourned Thing. No, age has not made me less of a sucker.
So I figured something similar would happen when I started getting into the DC books, particularly since the title I dove into was JLA, a group book. (Late 90s/early 00s, see various discussions of the TPBs earlier in this blog. Have also read some of the Giffen/DeMatteis stuff in TPB form.) Did it happen? Well, of the regulars in the Morrison run:
Aquaman
Good in a group, no desire to read him outside of that, the whole stuffed-shirt thing really only works when there's someone to react. Sorry. (Kind of how I feel about the Sub-mariner as well, honestly. Maybe it's because I don't like fish...)
Batman
Actually, I went through a Batman phase not long after getting back into comics. I'm not sure why--I think possibly because the kids were watching the animated seres at the time--but for a while I bought a number of the various Batman titles. The phase passed, and I stopped getting tbe books, I'd say cold turkey but that implies a difficulty that wasn't present. As in real life, there's only so much moody emo-ness one can take in a man. However, I find him perfectly tolerable in group books. As for his own titles, however, I'm done.
Flash
I've only ever read the Wally Flash, and found him a decent read although not of enough interest to get me to buy his book. I did get a few issues of the new Flash book, new character and all that, but have given it up. The Flash concept isn't one that I find interesting enough on its own to enjoy the book if the characters aren't scintillating, which they haven't been. (Except for Jay. Get me a Jay Garrick book and I'll buy it.)
Green Lantern
This was the one that worked the best on me, leading me to not only get new GL comics but to pick up a few GL TPBs. The concept of Green Lantern is a good one, good enough to make up for a few bad stories, and the one I read first--Kyle Rayner--is pretty likeable. He certainly made more interesting use of his powers than the older Lantern seemed to. I'm now getting the current Ion mini, as well as both the Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps series.
Martian Manhunter
For some reason, J'onn appeals to me without appealing to my need to buy. :) Actually, he hasn't had a title to buy until recently, has he? It's all right, not one I put at the top of the comic stack when I sit down to read, but it isn't at the bottom either. I don't know that I'd read an ongoing, though.
Plastic Man
Plastic Man is the awesomest, and I would buy his book in a minute if he had one.
Superman
I've never been able to muster up much enthusiasm for Superman, although I think his marriage to and relationship with Lois has made him a more interesting character. Works best in a group, as far as I'm concerned. (And the number of titles he appears in would make me reluctant to start getting heavily into him, strictly from a financial standpoint.)
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is just cool. Yeah, I'm getting the book, although I'll admit that it took a relaunch to get me to do it (but I probably wouldn't be keeping it if I wasn't pretty sure that Diana was going to return to duty soon enough). I like her, the kids like her, there's really nothing bad to say about her.
So on the whole, I'd say that it was a partial success.
But you never know how these things are going to work.
After all, reading Identity Crisis got me interested in the Atom, which was why I ordered the new Atom title. In this case Ray Palmer got his foot in the door, but it was the new guy who came inside and made himself at home. It's a fun book, a current favorite, and I plan to keep getting it--but I wouldn't have done so if I hadn't read the far more depressing Identity Crisis. The Atom's appearances with the Justice League never did that for me (they were pretty brief, of course).
I've just started reading Birds of Prey; as far as I know, none of the regular cast have their own books. I don't know that I'd pick up an Oracle title or a Huntress title, but I'd definitely pick up a Black Canary book if there were one. (Speaking of whom, am I misremembering or isn't this Canary the second one--she took over the job from her mom? Would mom be an option to fill in for Dinah Jr. in BoP? Just because it would be nice to see an active superheroine who's somewhere within my own age group! :))
The Avengers did this to me. I started buying Iron Man when I was in high school, because I liked him in the Avengers. Same with Captain America (although that one didn't stick after it reached a certain level of miserable, and didn't make a reappearance until Brubaker). And I never did go for Thor, come to think of it... But miniseries? Yeah, I bought the Hawkeye mini. Decent, but clear evidence that the guy couldn't possibly support his own title. Spinoffs? Bought and enjoyed West Coast Avengers for as long as it lasted. (I don't count Ms. Marvel or the Spider-Woman mini because they have strong nostalgia value of their own, and She-Hulk is in a class by herself.)
The X-Men did this to me, gods help me, way back when. Uncanny. Astonishing. No-adjective. X-Factor. Excalibur (easily the best at that time). That, of course, worked against 'em because X-Men Crossover Syndrome was one of the things that drove me away from comics for ten years. Yeah, I'm still bitter. Still won't touch an X-Men book. (That's an exaggeration. The twelve-year-old gets New X-Men and I usually read it. But I buy none for myself!)
More recently, my long-term fondness for Fantastic Four led me to get the Human Torch mini and the much-mourned Thing. No, age has not made me less of a sucker.
So I figured something similar would happen when I started getting into the DC books, particularly since the title I dove into was JLA, a group book. (Late 90s/early 00s, see various discussions of the TPBs earlier in this blog. Have also read some of the Giffen/DeMatteis stuff in TPB form.) Did it happen? Well, of the regulars in the Morrison run:
Aquaman
Good in a group, no desire to read him outside of that, the whole stuffed-shirt thing really only works when there's someone to react. Sorry. (Kind of how I feel about the Sub-mariner as well, honestly. Maybe it's because I don't like fish...)
Batman
Actually, I went through a Batman phase not long after getting back into comics. I'm not sure why--I think possibly because the kids were watching the animated seres at the time--but for a while I bought a number of the various Batman titles. The phase passed, and I stopped getting tbe books, I'd say cold turkey but that implies a difficulty that wasn't present. As in real life, there's only so much moody emo-ness one can take in a man. However, I find him perfectly tolerable in group books. As for his own titles, however, I'm done.
Flash
I've only ever read the Wally Flash, and found him a decent read although not of enough interest to get me to buy his book. I did get a few issues of the new Flash book, new character and all that, but have given it up. The Flash concept isn't one that I find interesting enough on its own to enjoy the book if the characters aren't scintillating, which they haven't been. (Except for Jay. Get me a Jay Garrick book and I'll buy it.)
Green Lantern
This was the one that worked the best on me, leading me to not only get new GL comics but to pick up a few GL TPBs. The concept of Green Lantern is a good one, good enough to make up for a few bad stories, and the one I read first--Kyle Rayner--is pretty likeable. He certainly made more interesting use of his powers than the older Lantern seemed to. I'm now getting the current Ion mini, as well as both the Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps series.
Martian Manhunter
For some reason, J'onn appeals to me without appealing to my need to buy. :) Actually, he hasn't had a title to buy until recently, has he? It's all right, not one I put at the top of the comic stack when I sit down to read, but it isn't at the bottom either. I don't know that I'd read an ongoing, though.
Plastic Man
Plastic Man is the awesomest, and I would buy his book in a minute if he had one.
Superman
I've never been able to muster up much enthusiasm for Superman, although I think his marriage to and relationship with Lois has made him a more interesting character. Works best in a group, as far as I'm concerned. (And the number of titles he appears in would make me reluctant to start getting heavily into him, strictly from a financial standpoint.)
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is just cool. Yeah, I'm getting the book, although I'll admit that it took a relaunch to get me to do it (but I probably wouldn't be keeping it if I wasn't pretty sure that Diana was going to return to duty soon enough). I like her, the kids like her, there's really nothing bad to say about her.
So on the whole, I'd say that it was a partial success.
But you never know how these things are going to work.
After all, reading Identity Crisis got me interested in the Atom, which was why I ordered the new Atom title. In this case Ray Palmer got his foot in the door, but it was the new guy who came inside and made himself at home. It's a fun book, a current favorite, and I plan to keep getting it--but I wouldn't have done so if I hadn't read the far more depressing Identity Crisis. The Atom's appearances with the Justice League never did that for me (they were pretty brief, of course).
I've just started reading Birds of Prey; as far as I know, none of the regular cast have their own books. I don't know that I'd pick up an Oracle title or a Huntress title, but I'd definitely pick up a Black Canary book if there were one. (Speaking of whom, am I misremembering or isn't this Canary the second one--she took over the job from her mom? Would mom be an option to fill in for Dinah Jr. in BoP? Just because it would be nice to see an active superheroine who's somewhere within my own age group! :))
Monday, October 23, 2006
Three cool things about the Winter Soldier
1. History. Marvel has never made much use of its Golden Age characters, apart from Captain America and the Submariner (and an occasional return of the original Human Torch).
This is unlike DC, where folks like the original Flash and Green Lantern are not only mentioned but embraced, both used and respected. But Marvel has always tended to cut its ties with the past to a greater extent than DC. (Granted that most of Marvel's superhero comics ended with World War II--having been far more closely associated with that event than most of the DC heroes, who tended to stay stateside and deal more often with criminals than with the enemy--or became horror titles, while Batman and Superman kept going right on through the dark ages of superherodom that were the 50s.) When Marvel reintroduced superhero books in the early 1960s, the focus was almost entirely on new characters. Apart from Cap and the Sub-Mariner, the Golden Age heroes had no meaningful place in the modern Marvel world.
There were exceptions, of course, particularly during the 70s--the entire original Invaders series, the appearance of the Whizzer in the pages of The Avengers back in the 70s (at this point the working hypothesis on Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch's parentage was that they were the children of the Whizzer and Miss America, two Golden Age heroes). But The Invaders took place during World War II, well away from contemporary Marvel continuity, and the Whizzer was an old man, well past his hero days. The original Human Torch was unavailable for years, because his android body was supposedly the same one used to make the Vision (this turned out not to be the case, eventually).
More recently, the New Invaders book featured some Golden Age heroes, including Spitfire (who was actually created during the 70s for the Invaders series) and Union Jack (also created during the 70s, and a later version to boot) as well as genuine 40s characters such as the Blazing Skull and the original Human Torch. There were also guest appearances by such minor Golden-Agers as The Fin and Red Raven. (Incidentally, I very much enjoyed this book but it took some work for me to get past the art. I don't believe it sold very well, and in any case it was cancelled some time ago.)
And the Winter Soldier/Bucky himself? Well, he wouldn't have done well if he'd returned along with Cap back in the 60s. Silver Age Marvel made no use of kid sidekicks. The closest they came was with Rick Jones, who honestly worked much better with the Hulk than he did with Captain America (his relationship with Captain Mar-vell was really out of the sidekick realm, so I'm not including it). Now, though, he has a potential link not only with Captain America and the other Golden Age heroes, but with a lot of the Cold War era characters such as the Black Widow, or Iron Man if IM hadn't been written out of that era.
2. Man out of time. When Captain American was discovered by the Avengers, frozen in ice, there was some mention made of his feeling out of his own time, but on the whole he seemed to deal well with this, and quickly. Then again, Cap was revived in the 60s, less than twenty years after his disappearance. His old girlfriend Peggy Carter was still around, only now in her 40s (so of course he dumped her for her younger sister Sharon, something which I'd find a bit offensive if I saw it in a modern book). Although there were certainly a lot of changes during those twenty years, it's a whole different thing from the sixty years the Winter Soldier has to deal with. His old friends aren't just older, they're probably dead. The culture has changed radically, and he'll have little in common with other twenty-somethings (what is he, 28 or so?)--he lacks the cultural familiarity that gives us a sense of belonging (and he'll never win a game of Trivial Pursuit).
On the other hand, it's not clear how much time he spent out of stasis while the Soviets had him. He did act as Karpov's bodyguard for a while, a long-term mission during which he would have been of little use if he'd been in stasis, so he would have had to have been out and about consistently for a while during the late 80s--I don't know how much autonomy Karpov would have given him but surely he would have seen a bit of what went on in the modern world. So he's undoubtedly comfortable with a good deal of modern technology, not only because of his bits of existence out of stasis but because he wouldn't have been much good as an agent if he wasn't. It'll be interesting to see how this is handled. My own thought is that he'd probably deal a lot better with the modern world materially than he would socially and emotionally.
3. Pain and suffering. This isn't so much a "cool thing" as it is a "saleable thing," because comic writers love to make their characters suffer, and comic readers love to see it. And I can't think of a single Marvel character with a greater potential for suffering and angst than the Winter Soldier. There's the war experience itself--even Captain America still has nightmares about what went on during the war (granted that a lot of his bad dreams involve Bucky, but not all), and the teenage Bucky was either slitting throats (re Brubaker) or frying Nazis with flamethrowers (re actual 1940s comics), which for a basically-good person isn't a comfortable thing. But of course the greatest source of misery is going to be his memories of his actions as a Soviet assassin.
At this point I don't think it's clear where his head is at, but I think it's likely that he remembers not only what he did but how he felt about doing it at the time--in other words, he's going to remember doing things he now considers horrific and feeling pretty good about doing them. After all, it wasn't that the Soviets had him doing different things as one of their agents--he'd killed any number of German soldiers during the war--he was performing many of the same acts on their behalf that he had performed as an American soldier and patriot during WWII. The difference was a subjective one. He'll remember (presumably) perceiving himself as a communist, or at least anti-capitalist. He'll remember feeling loyalty to people he now knows deserved nothing of the sort. He'll remember that he considered the people he killed--people he now knows were allies--to be enemies. I'm guessing that it doesn't help that people, including Captain America, seem to be simplifying the experience--"It wasn't your fault, you weren't responsible"--when that's not the way he perceives it right now.
Ordinarily this sort of misery and despair would be something I'd find tedious after a while, but I think there's something key here in Bucky's genuine personality. Captain America, both in the 40s and in the present day, tends to be an earnest and serious fellow. He isn't humorless by any means, but he has a strong sense of his role and that's going to lend him a certain gravity. Bucky, on the other hand, was much more likely to be irreverent, to crack wise, to go about his work (presumably the ass-kicking part rather than the throat-slitting part) with joy and enthusiasm. That doesn't mean that he doesn't take what he's doing seriously, but he was originally presented as a far lighter character than Cap, and I think that will end up being a good indicator of where he stands with regard to his recovery from a very bad ten years of life. We saw him smile, crack half a joke, in Captain America #21; that's a good sign.
So, yes, I think this could be successfully dragged out for years to come.
This is unlike DC, where folks like the original Flash and Green Lantern are not only mentioned but embraced, both used and respected. But Marvel has always tended to cut its ties with the past to a greater extent than DC. (Granted that most of Marvel's superhero comics ended with World War II--having been far more closely associated with that event than most of the DC heroes, who tended to stay stateside and deal more often with criminals than with the enemy--or became horror titles, while Batman and Superman kept going right on through the dark ages of superherodom that were the 50s.) When Marvel reintroduced superhero books in the early 1960s, the focus was almost entirely on new characters. Apart from Cap and the Sub-Mariner, the Golden Age heroes had no meaningful place in the modern Marvel world.
There were exceptions, of course, particularly during the 70s--the entire original Invaders series, the appearance of the Whizzer in the pages of The Avengers back in the 70s (at this point the working hypothesis on Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch's parentage was that they were the children of the Whizzer and Miss America, two Golden Age heroes). But The Invaders took place during World War II, well away from contemporary Marvel continuity, and the Whizzer was an old man, well past his hero days. The original Human Torch was unavailable for years, because his android body was supposedly the same one used to make the Vision (this turned out not to be the case, eventually).
More recently, the New Invaders book featured some Golden Age heroes, including Spitfire (who was actually created during the 70s for the Invaders series) and Union Jack (also created during the 70s, and a later version to boot) as well as genuine 40s characters such as the Blazing Skull and the original Human Torch. There were also guest appearances by such minor Golden-Agers as The Fin and Red Raven. (Incidentally, I very much enjoyed this book but it took some work for me to get past the art. I don't believe it sold very well, and in any case it was cancelled some time ago.)
And the Winter Soldier/Bucky himself? Well, he wouldn't have done well if he'd returned along with Cap back in the 60s. Silver Age Marvel made no use of kid sidekicks. The closest they came was with Rick Jones, who honestly worked much better with the Hulk than he did with Captain America (his relationship with Captain Mar-vell was really out of the sidekick realm, so I'm not including it). Now, though, he has a potential link not only with Captain America and the other Golden Age heroes, but with a lot of the Cold War era characters such as the Black Widow, or Iron Man if IM hadn't been written out of that era.
2. Man out of time. When Captain American was discovered by the Avengers, frozen in ice, there was some mention made of his feeling out of his own time, but on the whole he seemed to deal well with this, and quickly. Then again, Cap was revived in the 60s, less than twenty years after his disappearance. His old girlfriend Peggy Carter was still around, only now in her 40s (so of course he dumped her for her younger sister Sharon, something which I'd find a bit offensive if I saw it in a modern book). Although there were certainly a lot of changes during those twenty years, it's a whole different thing from the sixty years the Winter Soldier has to deal with. His old friends aren't just older, they're probably dead. The culture has changed radically, and he'll have little in common with other twenty-somethings (what is he, 28 or so?)--he lacks the cultural familiarity that gives us a sense of belonging (and he'll never win a game of Trivial Pursuit).
On the other hand, it's not clear how much time he spent out of stasis while the Soviets had him. He did act as Karpov's bodyguard for a while, a long-term mission during which he would have been of little use if he'd been in stasis, so he would have had to have been out and about consistently for a while during the late 80s--I don't know how much autonomy Karpov would have given him but surely he would have seen a bit of what went on in the modern world. So he's undoubtedly comfortable with a good deal of modern technology, not only because of his bits of existence out of stasis but because he wouldn't have been much good as an agent if he wasn't. It'll be interesting to see how this is handled. My own thought is that he'd probably deal a lot better with the modern world materially than he would socially and emotionally.
3. Pain and suffering. This isn't so much a "cool thing" as it is a "saleable thing," because comic writers love to make their characters suffer, and comic readers love to see it. And I can't think of a single Marvel character with a greater potential for suffering and angst than the Winter Soldier. There's the war experience itself--even Captain America still has nightmares about what went on during the war (granted that a lot of his bad dreams involve Bucky, but not all), and the teenage Bucky was either slitting throats (re Brubaker) or frying Nazis with flamethrowers (re actual 1940s comics), which for a basically-good person isn't a comfortable thing. But of course the greatest source of misery is going to be his memories of his actions as a Soviet assassin.
At this point I don't think it's clear where his head is at, but I think it's likely that he remembers not only what he did but how he felt about doing it at the time--in other words, he's going to remember doing things he now considers horrific and feeling pretty good about doing them. After all, it wasn't that the Soviets had him doing different things as one of their agents--he'd killed any number of German soldiers during the war--he was performing many of the same acts on their behalf that he had performed as an American soldier and patriot during WWII. The difference was a subjective one. He'll remember (presumably) perceiving himself as a communist, or at least anti-capitalist. He'll remember feeling loyalty to people he now knows deserved nothing of the sort. He'll remember that he considered the people he killed--people he now knows were allies--to be enemies. I'm guessing that it doesn't help that people, including Captain America, seem to be simplifying the experience--"It wasn't your fault, you weren't responsible"--when that's not the way he perceives it right now.
Ordinarily this sort of misery and despair would be something I'd find tedious after a while, but I think there's something key here in Bucky's genuine personality. Captain America, both in the 40s and in the present day, tends to be an earnest and serious fellow. He isn't humorless by any means, but he has a strong sense of his role and that's going to lend him a certain gravity. Bucky, on the other hand, was much more likely to be irreverent, to crack wise, to go about his work (presumably the ass-kicking part rather than the throat-slitting part) with joy and enthusiasm. That doesn't mean that he doesn't take what he's doing seriously, but he was originally presented as a far lighter character than Cap, and I think that will end up being a good indicator of where he stands with regard to his recovery from a very bad ten years of life. We saw him smile, crack half a joke, in Captain America #21; that's a good sign.
So, yes, I think this could be successfully dragged out for years to come.
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Why I like(d) the Legion
As a teenager and young adult, I was strictly a Marvel reader. I don't think there was anything of judgment in the decision, just that Marvel comics were the ones I happened to read. There was one exception: The Legion of Superheroes.
Now, if you were going to read just one DC book, the Legion was the one to go with. Since it happened in the future, crossovers with or guest appearances by other DC characters were usually limited to Superboy (who, not being Superman, was not himself a part of the usual DC continuity). You didn't have to read anything else in order to enjoy the Legion. They stood alone in their own world.
I read the Legion on occasion when I was very young--whenever mom and dad brought home a copy of Adventure or Superboy. I don't have those books anymore, but I do remember a couple of storylines distinctly. One was an imaginary story in which Saturn Girl/Lightning Lad and Phantom Girl/Ultra Boy married and left the Legion; I remember Brainiac Five objecting, and Saturn Girl chiding him because his cold, computer mind couldn't understand what love was (I think this stuck in my mind because it seemed such a mean thing to say). I don't recall how that issue ended because I only had part of the comic, the last pages had disappeared. (Research tells me that this was probably October 1965, a story in Adventure called "The Weddings That Wrecked the Legion." I would have been three then, which explains why I didn't take very good care of my comics--although I did keep the shredded book for years to come.)
The other Silver Age story I remember had to do with Dream Girl going undercover disguised as one of a gang of villains (this was pretty easy back then as all comic book girls looked alike apart from hair style and color); I believe her name was Mystelor and she was a telepath, a power Dream Girl approximated by means of precognition, somehow. (Why they didn't send Saturn Girl, I have no idea.) In this case I don't know how the story began, as the first pages were torn from this book, but I was pretty impressed with DG's quick thinking.
On the whole, though, I didn't develop an intense attachment to the Legion until the late 70s and early 80s. That's the era I have a particular fondness for, although I do like the earlier and later books as well. Actually, I read the Legion fairly faithfully right up until the early to mid-90s, when they had two Legion books because they had two Legion teams--one the older group we'd been reading for years, the other a younger set still in their teens, and apparently one set were clones. (If you don't know, don't ask.) So of course when I started in on the comics again a few years back, the Legion was on my list. But the things I like most about the Legion?
People. The Legion was not only a group book, it was a large group book. They typically had 20+ members (not counting reservists or the Substitute Legion), which you'd expect to make for a cumbersome storyline, but somehow that never happened. There were times when one character or group of characters received more attention than others, but on the whole everyone got enough attention to hold the readers interest and allow for a bit of characterization.
The large membership meant that there was no end to the ways different members could interact with each other--it seemed real, the way that some Legionnaires were friends while others were really merely colleagues. With a community that large, there was room to grow. Not everyone had to get along on a personal level, as long as they could work together on a professional level.
Women. With such a large membership, there were plenty of female members, enough so that there were a variety of roles available to them (not just "the emotional one" or "the rescuee"). And in the late 70s/early 80s, the Legion's women were some of the best-written and most interesting in superhero comics.
Now, I loved Saturn Girl, right from the start--even back in the 60s, she was never anything but competent and self-controlled, and got a good deal less of the "just a girl" thing than the other female members. She was a founding member, and always one of the strongest personalities in the group.
Shrinking Violet became another favorite after that convoluted storyline in which she was kidnapped and held prisoner for months. (Basic details of that mess: Imskian terrorists fooled a Durlan actress into taking Violet's place in the Legion, telling her that Violet knew all about the subterfuge. The Durlan developed a relationship with Colossal Boy, who had long had an unrequited love for Violet. Violet's boyfriend, Duplicate Boy, was pretty upset about this until he realized--knowing Violet as well as he did--that it wasn't Violet, a close call for the Durlan. Eventually someone figured out that something was up, and Violet was freed.) Her first act after returning and recovering? To deck her erstwhile boyfriend for not telling anyone that Violet wasn't Violet. (In all fairness to Duplicate Boy, he had never been portrayed as anything other than an idiot.)
Now, usually when a comic book character undergoes some trauma, it doesn't seem to affect them much--the Bargain Hunter puts Lizard Girl on the rack in issue #345? By issue #346 she's back to her usual wisecracking self. Not only was Violet affected by what happened to her, she underwent a substantial change. "Shrinking" was the last word you'd use to describe the new Vi. She didn't return to her former, gentle personality. She didn't forgive the Durlan (who had by then gotten married to Colossal Boy) for what she'd done. She didn't put up with any crap from anyone!
Finally (although I could go on), I really liked the characterization of Dream Girl in this era--bright, competent, confident, and vain and in many ways shallow. I imagine that her power is a difficult one to work well with, and she certainly wasn't portrayed consistently over time, but on the whole she always seemed to be one of the softer, less ambitious members of the Legion. At this point in the series, we started to see her shine, and although I don't think I found her particularly likable, I was always pleased when she was featured in a story because I knew it would be a good one.
The "Adult Legion." The Legion aged over time. Although they certainly didn't age in anything like real time, by 1980 or so most of the members were twenty-somethings. They married. They had children. (Well, a few of them did.) Their relationships were as complex and adult as one could find in comics. Since I, too, was out of my teen years by then, this was something I liked.
Social commentary lite. I'm thinking specifically here of Shrinking Violet and Light Lass, who became a couple and seemed no more dysfunctional than any other comic-book couple. I'm thinking less of Element Lad and Shvaughn/Sean Erin, because I found that whole thing a bit confusing (and I'm pretty sure my transgender friends would find some of it rather insulting), but I think they meant well. And you didn't see a lot of that, back then.
So. Why is the (d) up there in the subject line? It's not because I don't like the current book, because I think it's been pretty good overall. It's because, for me, it's not the same book in a fairly basic sense.
For example, I was out of comics for over ten years. When I took them up again, I started with the same books I'd enjoyed the most earlier. I bought, for example, Iron Man. Iron Man was doing different things in the early 00s than he had been in the early 90s, but he was still Tony Stark, he still had essentially the same history, and he still had essentially the same personality. Tony still acts like Tony. (I'm told that if I'd tuned in back in the late 90s that wouldn't have been the case--if so I'm glad my hiatus occurred when it did. I'm also finding a lot of weird characterization going on right now, what with the Civil War storyline, but I still have faith that he and Reed and Carol have all been infested with evil earwigs and will eventually turn back into their real selves.)
But back to the Legion. Brainiac Five--still an interesting character, but not the same Brainiac Five I read for I don't know how many years. Histories have been rewritten (not just tweaked or retconned, but changed), personalities have been changed (not developed, changed). I wouldn't say they're better or worse than the original, but they are different enough that in many (not all, but many) cases, the characters are unrecognizable. The link to the past has been broken--and although I love comics for what they are as well as what they were, there's something about the new Legion that just doesn't hold this reader's loyalty in the way that the old Legion books did. The nostalgia factor is gone, and that puts the book lower on the "keep this at all costs!" list than it used to be.
Now, if you were going to read just one DC book, the Legion was the one to go with. Since it happened in the future, crossovers with or guest appearances by other DC characters were usually limited to Superboy (who, not being Superman, was not himself a part of the usual DC continuity). You didn't have to read anything else in order to enjoy the Legion. They stood alone in their own world.
I read the Legion on occasion when I was very young--whenever mom and dad brought home a copy of Adventure or Superboy. I don't have those books anymore, but I do remember a couple of storylines distinctly. One was an imaginary story in which Saturn Girl/Lightning Lad and Phantom Girl/Ultra Boy married and left the Legion; I remember Brainiac Five objecting, and Saturn Girl chiding him because his cold, computer mind couldn't understand what love was (I think this stuck in my mind because it seemed such a mean thing to say). I don't recall how that issue ended because I only had part of the comic, the last pages had disappeared. (Research tells me that this was probably October 1965, a story in Adventure called "The Weddings That Wrecked the Legion." I would have been three then, which explains why I didn't take very good care of my comics--although I did keep the shredded book for years to come.)
The other Silver Age story I remember had to do with Dream Girl going undercover disguised as one of a gang of villains (this was pretty easy back then as all comic book girls looked alike apart from hair style and color); I believe her name was Mystelor and she was a telepath, a power Dream Girl approximated by means of precognition, somehow. (Why they didn't send Saturn Girl, I have no idea.) In this case I don't know how the story began, as the first pages were torn from this book, but I was pretty impressed with DG's quick thinking.
On the whole, though, I didn't develop an intense attachment to the Legion until the late 70s and early 80s. That's the era I have a particular fondness for, although I do like the earlier and later books as well. Actually, I read the Legion fairly faithfully right up until the early to mid-90s, when they had two Legion books because they had two Legion teams--one the older group we'd been reading for years, the other a younger set still in their teens, and apparently one set were clones. (If you don't know, don't ask.) So of course when I started in on the comics again a few years back, the Legion was on my list. But the things I like most about the Legion?
People. The Legion was not only a group book, it was a large group book. They typically had 20+ members (not counting reservists or the Substitute Legion), which you'd expect to make for a cumbersome storyline, but somehow that never happened. There were times when one character or group of characters received more attention than others, but on the whole everyone got enough attention to hold the readers interest and allow for a bit of characterization.
The large membership meant that there was no end to the ways different members could interact with each other--it seemed real, the way that some Legionnaires were friends while others were really merely colleagues. With a community that large, there was room to grow. Not everyone had to get along on a personal level, as long as they could work together on a professional level.
Women. With such a large membership, there were plenty of female members, enough so that there were a variety of roles available to them (not just "the emotional one" or "the rescuee"). And in the late 70s/early 80s, the Legion's women were some of the best-written and most interesting in superhero comics.
Now, I loved Saturn Girl, right from the start--even back in the 60s, she was never anything but competent and self-controlled, and got a good deal less of the "just a girl" thing than the other female members. She was a founding member, and always one of the strongest personalities in the group.
Shrinking Violet became another favorite after that convoluted storyline in which she was kidnapped and held prisoner for months. (Basic details of that mess: Imskian terrorists fooled a Durlan actress into taking Violet's place in the Legion, telling her that Violet knew all about the subterfuge. The Durlan developed a relationship with Colossal Boy, who had long had an unrequited love for Violet. Violet's boyfriend, Duplicate Boy, was pretty upset about this until he realized--knowing Violet as well as he did--that it wasn't Violet, a close call for the Durlan. Eventually someone figured out that something was up, and Violet was freed.) Her first act after returning and recovering? To deck her erstwhile boyfriend for not telling anyone that Violet wasn't Violet. (In all fairness to Duplicate Boy, he had never been portrayed as anything other than an idiot.)
Now, usually when a comic book character undergoes some trauma, it doesn't seem to affect them much--the Bargain Hunter puts Lizard Girl on the rack in issue #345? By issue #346 she's back to her usual wisecracking self. Not only was Violet affected by what happened to her, she underwent a substantial change. "Shrinking" was the last word you'd use to describe the new Vi. She didn't return to her former, gentle personality. She didn't forgive the Durlan (who had by then gotten married to Colossal Boy) for what she'd done. She didn't put up with any crap from anyone!
Finally (although I could go on), I really liked the characterization of Dream Girl in this era--bright, competent, confident, and vain and in many ways shallow. I imagine that her power is a difficult one to work well with, and she certainly wasn't portrayed consistently over time, but on the whole she always seemed to be one of the softer, less ambitious members of the Legion. At this point in the series, we started to see her shine, and although I don't think I found her particularly likable, I was always pleased when she was featured in a story because I knew it would be a good one.
The "Adult Legion." The Legion aged over time. Although they certainly didn't age in anything like real time, by 1980 or so most of the members were twenty-somethings. They married. They had children. (Well, a few of them did.) Their relationships were as complex and adult as one could find in comics. Since I, too, was out of my teen years by then, this was something I liked.
Social commentary lite. I'm thinking specifically here of Shrinking Violet and Light Lass, who became a couple and seemed no more dysfunctional than any other comic-book couple. I'm thinking less of Element Lad and Shvaughn/Sean Erin, because I found that whole thing a bit confusing (and I'm pretty sure my transgender friends would find some of it rather insulting), but I think they meant well. And you didn't see a lot of that, back then.
So. Why is the (d) up there in the subject line? It's not because I don't like the current book, because I think it's been pretty good overall. It's because, for me, it's not the same book in a fairly basic sense.
For example, I was out of comics for over ten years. When I took them up again, I started with the same books I'd enjoyed the most earlier. I bought, for example, Iron Man. Iron Man was doing different things in the early 00s than he had been in the early 90s, but he was still Tony Stark, he still had essentially the same history, and he still had essentially the same personality. Tony still acts like Tony. (I'm told that if I'd tuned in back in the late 90s that wouldn't have been the case--if so I'm glad my hiatus occurred when it did. I'm also finding a lot of weird characterization going on right now, what with the Civil War storyline, but I still have faith that he and Reed and Carol have all been infested with evil earwigs and will eventually turn back into their real selves.)
But back to the Legion. Brainiac Five--still an interesting character, but not the same Brainiac Five I read for I don't know how many years. Histories have been rewritten (not just tweaked or retconned, but changed), personalities have been changed (not developed, changed). I wouldn't say they're better or worse than the original, but they are different enough that in many (not all, but many) cases, the characters are unrecognizable. The link to the past has been broken--and although I love comics for what they are as well as what they were, there's something about the new Legion that just doesn't hold this reader's loyalty in the way that the old Legion books did. The nostalgia factor is gone, and that puts the book lower on the "keep this at all costs!" list than it used to be.
Friday, October 20, 2006
Three Cool Things About Catman
I haven't been reading DC for long, so I don't have the history to write one of these things about most of the characters--however, since I've read Villains United and have been reading Secret Six, this one I think I might know enough about.
1. The redemption theme. Bad guy trying to be a good guy, more or less. However, in Catman's case this isn't due purely to any newly-realized ethical sense, it's more complex than that. I hope they keep the details of his spiritual awakening as vague as they have been.
But the notion of seeing that they way you're living your life is just not working and making the effort to change it? That's admirable. (Think of all the villains whose plans keep failing, over and over and over, and yet as soon as they're out of jail they're back to business as usual.)
2. Moral ambiguity and live-and-let-live. Catman is no longer a real villain, but he's far from a real hero. Among his peer group (the Six) he's closest to hero-dom, but he doesn't seem to impose his own relatively new morality on his fellows, and he has no problem associating with those whose ethical principles may differ from his own. The important thing is the relationship he has with the others--any differences they have come second to that, and he doesn't nag, although he will press for his own methods when that's an option.
This is interesting because you really don't know which way he's going to go. It seems unlikely that he'd return to pure villainy, and he does seem to have a fairly strong heroic impulse at this point, but honestly I see him comfortably sitting on the fence for some time to come.
3. The physical reflection of his fall. You really don't see this in comics--yes, people fall from grace, but what this seems to mean in practical terms is that they stop shaving. Regardless of activity level, superheroes and villains tend to keep their heroic physique effortlessly. I suppose they're easier to draw that way.
Catman, at his lowest emotional and spiritual point, fell apart physically as well--he put on weight, he got out of shape, not only could he not do the job because of his mental state, he simply couldn't do it physically. I think this reflects his character in some ways--that while he isn't someone who operates purely on instinct, he is someone who is very physical, whose body is closely tied to self. The key to his return to life had to do with returning to a more basic level of existence, with the lions in Africa.
1. The redemption theme. Bad guy trying to be a good guy, more or less. However, in Catman's case this isn't due purely to any newly-realized ethical sense, it's more complex than that. I hope they keep the details of his spiritual awakening as vague as they have been.
But the notion of seeing that they way you're living your life is just not working and making the effort to change it? That's admirable. (Think of all the villains whose plans keep failing, over and over and over, and yet as soon as they're out of jail they're back to business as usual.)
2. Moral ambiguity and live-and-let-live. Catman is no longer a real villain, but he's far from a real hero. Among his peer group (the Six) he's closest to hero-dom, but he doesn't seem to impose his own relatively new morality on his fellows, and he has no problem associating with those whose ethical principles may differ from his own. The important thing is the relationship he has with the others--any differences they have come second to that, and he doesn't nag, although he will press for his own methods when that's an option.
This is interesting because you really don't know which way he's going to go. It seems unlikely that he'd return to pure villainy, and he does seem to have a fairly strong heroic impulse at this point, but honestly I see him comfortably sitting on the fence for some time to come.
3. The physical reflection of his fall. You really don't see this in comics--yes, people fall from grace, but what this seems to mean in practical terms is that they stop shaving. Regardless of activity level, superheroes and villains tend to keep their heroic physique effortlessly. I suppose they're easier to draw that way.
Catman, at his lowest emotional and spiritual point, fell apart physically as well--he put on weight, he got out of shape, not only could he not do the job because of his mental state, he simply couldn't do it physically. I think this reflects his character in some ways--that while he isn't someone who operates purely on instinct, he is someone who is very physical, whose body is closely tied to self. The key to his return to life had to do with returning to a more basic level of existence, with the lions in Africa.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Read this again!
Back when I discussed The Adventures of Captain America (that was in June, have I really had this blog for that long?) we didn't have the scanner. Now we do, and since this is still one of the best things I've read since then, I've edited the original post with images, making it even more spoileriffic (as if that were possible).
The link is here:
Adventures of Captain America, 1-4
if you're interested.
The link is here:
Adventures of Captain America, 1-4
if you're interested.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
More Marvel Legends Action Figures
Most of these are from the Mojo set (therefore we have a partial Mojo now, with body parts including head scurrying around trying to be menacing), although two of these were from an older set (the one where the figures came with something to ride on). We've got a few more coming on back order (can you back-order pre-orders?) so I'm guessing there'll be another toy review post at some point.
I'm undecided on whether I want to keep getting these from now on, as the pictures I've seen of the Hasbro toys don't look that great.
Baron Zemo
The kids had been asking about villains, thus the presence of Zemo and Ultron in this shipment. Ultron (see below) was a bit disappointing. Zemo was not. He looks good--often toy-makers' efforts at non-skin-tight costuming are less than thrilling, but Zemo's tunic with the weird fur collar looks just fine. Flexible, posable, good joints, a very playable toy and sheer evil to boot!
The Falcon
The Falcon comes with a little Redwing, which the kids love. He looks good, is flexible and posable, stays put when you put him in position. The only iffy part is the wings attached under the arms (they overlap if the arms are out straight, which they are if you're having him glide), but I think this would have been difficult to execute in any other way so I wouldn't complain too much.
I always liked the Falcon, so I was really happy to see this one in the pre-orders some months back--I'm glad it didn't disappoint.
Luke Cage, Power Man
The kids have only seen Luke Cage in the New Avengers, so they were intrigued by the costume and wondered why he wore a chain for a belt (looks cool, not very practical if you ever want to take your pants off in a hurry).
Looks good--has a snarl but it isn't a bad one. Moderately muscular, which interferes a bit with movement particularly in the arms. Posable, reasonably flexible, good joints. Looks great with the Iron Fist figure. :)
Ultron
I was a little disappointed in Ultron--I had ordered it without enlarging the image, and had assumed it was the older model of Ultron from way-back-when. This one is the relatively more recent insect-like Ultron. He has many pointy things attached to him and a very small child could probably poke an eye out if she really put her mind to it.
Ultron isn't terribly flexible--most of his joints don't bend as much as one might want, and the head turns a bit but is otherwise stationary. He can look menacing, and can hold a few body-builder poses, but otherwise he isn't all that versatile.
Wolverine (Future Wolverine in the jacket and jeans)
Movable, posable, flexible, nice tight joints. The head is a bit oversized, and has that annoying play-limiting scowl that so many of these figures have. The twelve-year-old likes the jacket, which is indeed very cool.
The best thing about this Wolverine, however, is that he comes with a motorcycle. This means that everyone gets a turn on the motorcycle. Including Redwing, when the seven-year-old got her hands on it. (FYI, Redwing can steer with his talons but of course acceleration is out of the question.) So who looks the best on the motorcycle? IMO, Storm. Black leather, hair flying in the wind, etc. My guess is she'll be "borrowing" it full-time.
I'm undecided on whether I want to keep getting these from now on, as the pictures I've seen of the Hasbro toys don't look that great.
Baron Zemo
The kids had been asking about villains, thus the presence of Zemo and Ultron in this shipment. Ultron (see below) was a bit disappointing. Zemo was not. He looks good--often toy-makers' efforts at non-skin-tight costuming are less than thrilling, but Zemo's tunic with the weird fur collar looks just fine. Flexible, posable, good joints, a very playable toy and sheer evil to boot!
The Falcon
The Falcon comes with a little Redwing, which the kids love. He looks good, is flexible and posable, stays put when you put him in position. The only iffy part is the wings attached under the arms (they overlap if the arms are out straight, which they are if you're having him glide), but I think this would have been difficult to execute in any other way so I wouldn't complain too much.
I always liked the Falcon, so I was really happy to see this one in the pre-orders some months back--I'm glad it didn't disappoint.
Luke Cage, Power Man
The kids have only seen Luke Cage in the New Avengers, so they were intrigued by the costume and wondered why he wore a chain for a belt (looks cool, not very practical if you ever want to take your pants off in a hurry).
Looks good--has a snarl but it isn't a bad one. Moderately muscular, which interferes a bit with movement particularly in the arms. Posable, reasonably flexible, good joints. Looks great with the Iron Fist figure. :)
Ultron
I was a little disappointed in Ultron--I had ordered it without enlarging the image, and had assumed it was the older model of Ultron from way-back-when. This one is the relatively more recent insect-like Ultron. He has many pointy things attached to him and a very small child could probably poke an eye out if she really put her mind to it.
Ultron isn't terribly flexible--most of his joints don't bend as much as one might want, and the head turns a bit but is otherwise stationary. He can look menacing, and can hold a few body-builder poses, but otherwise he isn't all that versatile.
Wolverine (Future Wolverine in the jacket and jeans)
Movable, posable, flexible, nice tight joints. The head is a bit oversized, and has that annoying play-limiting scowl that so many of these figures have. The twelve-year-old likes the jacket, which is indeed very cool.
The best thing about this Wolverine, however, is that he comes with a motorcycle. This means that everyone gets a turn on the motorcycle. Including Redwing, when the seven-year-old got her hands on it. (FYI, Redwing can steer with his talons but of course acceleration is out of the question.) So who looks the best on the motorcycle? IMO, Storm. Black leather, hair flying in the wind, etc. My guess is she'll be "borrowing" it full-time.
Monday, October 16, 2006
Looking forward to...
The rest of the Secret Six series. (And hoping for an ongoing at some point?)
The Winter Kills Winter Soldier one-shot in December.
Speaking of which, the return of the Young Avengers own title, whenever that happens. I'm assuming it's just late, not cancelled? I suspect I would have heard if it were otherwise.
The end of the Civil War books. I'm done. Didn't hate it, didn't love it, ready for it to go away.
The Winter Kills Winter Soldier one-shot in December.
Speaking of which, the return of the Young Avengers own title, whenever that happens. I'm assuming it's just late, not cancelled? I suspect I would have heard if it were otherwise.
The end of the Civil War books. I'm done. Didn't hate it, didn't love it, ready for it to go away.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Three cool things about the Wasp
1. Character development with consistency. Yes, Jan started out in the 60s as probably Marvel's greatest ditz. She spent much of her early career with the Avengers alternating between drooling over Thor's "dreamy" muscles (supposedly in an effort to make clueless Hank Pym jealous) and being captured, with her shrinking power portrayed as useful only in very specific or novel situations.
This is pretty typical of most Silver Age Marvel heroines--Stan Lee (who I still think is awesome, but seriously!) made a point of including some "girl stuff" in just about every issue his female characters appeared in. Usually this took the form of an interest in fashion, annoyance at a broken nail or messed hair after a battle, flirting with the male characters (and in any group setting, at least two or three of the men would have a crush on the one woman, making it clear that even her colleagues thought of her as "a woman" as well), or something to indicate that, despite the great power these women wielded, at heart they were still the girl next door. Hell, Sharon Carter came close to quitting SHIELD because Cap asked her to! (Speaking of unfortunate characterizations...)
For most of these characters, however, these characterizations disappeared by at least the late seventies. That's not a bad thing by any means, but it does mean that there's a great disparity between (for example) Sue Storm in the 60s who gets all weepy because the fans don't think she's pulling her weight, and Sue Richards from the 70s on who is quite obviously the power in her group. You tend to wonder how that happened.
Jan, on the other hand, didn't lose her early characterization--it evolved. Leading us to...
2. Competence. Jan is always going to have some stereotypically female points. For one, her obsession with fashion, which became a full-fledged career as a fashion designer where she has always been shown as a great success both as a creative talent and as a businesswoman (she may have gotten the seed money for this from her inheritance, but she's gone far beyond being simply an heiress).
And as a hero? Well, she's been Avengers chair, granted that was some time ago but she did a good job (until some writer decided that the stress was too much for her... :P). Her powers have grown steadily greater over the years--the "wasp sting" changing from an annoying distraction into a blast that could easily knock out quite a few of the Avengers' foes. She's worked on improving her abilities. She added growth to her repertoire. Note that a lot of folks in the Marvel universe have a hard time dealing with size-changing powers, either physically or emotionally--Jan never has. This is someone you know can do pretty much anything she puts her mind to.
3. Resilience. Well, most heroes are pretty resilient. One issue they're captured and tortured, the next they're cracking wise in the heat of battle. This isn't a unique characteristic. But Jan has always displayed a great deal of strength and resolve, while never becoming grim or jaded or filled with angst. Writers try to give her the angst, but it never, ever sticks. She retains her essential optimism and confidence regardless of what happens to her.
This is pretty typical of most Silver Age Marvel heroines--Stan Lee (who I still think is awesome, but seriously!) made a point of including some "girl stuff" in just about every issue his female characters appeared in. Usually this took the form of an interest in fashion, annoyance at a broken nail or messed hair after a battle, flirting with the male characters (and in any group setting, at least two or three of the men would have a crush on the one woman, making it clear that even her colleagues thought of her as "a woman" as well), or something to indicate that, despite the great power these women wielded, at heart they were still the girl next door. Hell, Sharon Carter came close to quitting SHIELD because Cap asked her to! (Speaking of unfortunate characterizations...)
For most of these characters, however, these characterizations disappeared by at least the late seventies. That's not a bad thing by any means, but it does mean that there's a great disparity between (for example) Sue Storm in the 60s who gets all weepy because the fans don't think she's pulling her weight, and Sue Richards from the 70s on who is quite obviously the power in her group. You tend to wonder how that happened.
Jan, on the other hand, didn't lose her early characterization--it evolved. Leading us to...
2. Competence. Jan is always going to have some stereotypically female points. For one, her obsession with fashion, which became a full-fledged career as a fashion designer where she has always been shown as a great success both as a creative talent and as a businesswoman (she may have gotten the seed money for this from her inheritance, but she's gone far beyond being simply an heiress).
And as a hero? Well, she's been Avengers chair, granted that was some time ago but she did a good job (until some writer decided that the stress was too much for her... :P). Her powers have grown steadily greater over the years--the "wasp sting" changing from an annoying distraction into a blast that could easily knock out quite a few of the Avengers' foes. She's worked on improving her abilities. She added growth to her repertoire. Note that a lot of folks in the Marvel universe have a hard time dealing with size-changing powers, either physically or emotionally--Jan never has. This is someone you know can do pretty much anything she puts her mind to.
3. Resilience. Well, most heroes are pretty resilient. One issue they're captured and tortured, the next they're cracking wise in the heat of battle. This isn't a unique characteristic. But Jan has always displayed a great deal of strength and resolve, while never becoming grim or jaded or filled with angst. Writers try to give her the angst, but it never, ever sticks. She retains her essential optimism and confidence regardless of what happens to her.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Marvel and DC again
When I was a kid (you know, I start way too many of these blog entries that way...) most of my comics were Marvel. I'd read DC books on occasion (Legion of Superheroes would eventually become a favorite, and I always enjoyed Doom Patrol and Metal Men) but, mainly, it was Marvel.
Back then in the Silver Age, the two companies put out products that were fairly distinctive. The art in the DC books was more precise, while that in the Marvel books was more dynamic; the Marvel heroes were drawn more expressively, while strong emotion in the DC books was often expressed with eyes averted, "choke" in a word balloon, and a hand covering the mouth. DC heroes called each other by their codenames, Marvel heroes often used their real, secret-identity names (although they did still tend to hang out in costume most of the time). DC heroes were more idealized, more stereotypically heroic; Marvel heroes seemed to have more doubts and insecurities, but still got the job done. The thing that I think clinched it for me as a kid, though, was distance--DC heroes seemed far more distant than Marvel ones. DC's tendency toward imaginary stories, gorillas, and Giant Turtle Olsen didn't help, either. (Possibly I was an unusual child, as I suspect those things were aimed directly at my age group.)*
For years I stuck entirely with Marvel to feed my comic habit. (Apart from the Legion, of course.) And I think it was habit, and familiarity.
Now, though? Thirty plus years later? I'm not seeing the same across-the-board differences that I did as a kid. I don't think they are there. I enjoy the same things in the DC books I like as I do in the Marvel books I like. I'm irritated by the same things in books put out by both companies. I'm not saying that these books are interchangeable, and I think there are some company-wide differences, and a slightly different "feel" to each company's product--I just don't seem to find them significant. Certainly nothing to inspire brand loyalty. (What I've got of that is given to Marvel, but I recognize that it comes from childhood love, not from anything inherent in the books as they stand today.)
Then again, I can never tell Coke from Pepsi, either...
BTW, what I like right this minute? Captain America and Secret Six. The twelve-year-old likes She-Hulk and (as of last week) Birds of Prey, 'cause "Batgirl rulez!"
Back then in the Silver Age, the two companies put out products that were fairly distinctive. The art in the DC books was more precise, while that in the Marvel books was more dynamic; the Marvel heroes were drawn more expressively, while strong emotion in the DC books was often expressed with eyes averted, "choke" in a word balloon, and a hand covering the mouth. DC heroes called each other by their codenames, Marvel heroes often used their real, secret-identity names (although they did still tend to hang out in costume most of the time). DC heroes were more idealized, more stereotypically heroic; Marvel heroes seemed to have more doubts and insecurities, but still got the job done. The thing that I think clinched it for me as a kid, though, was distance--DC heroes seemed far more distant than Marvel ones. DC's tendency toward imaginary stories, gorillas, and Giant Turtle Olsen didn't help, either. (Possibly I was an unusual child, as I suspect those things were aimed directly at my age group.)*
For years I stuck entirely with Marvel to feed my comic habit. (Apart from the Legion, of course.) And I think it was habit, and familiarity.
Now, though? Thirty plus years later? I'm not seeing the same across-the-board differences that I did as a kid. I don't think they are there. I enjoy the same things in the DC books I like as I do in the Marvel books I like. I'm irritated by the same things in books put out by both companies. I'm not saying that these books are interchangeable, and I think there are some company-wide differences, and a slightly different "feel" to each company's product--I just don't seem to find them significant. Certainly nothing to inspire brand loyalty. (What I've got of that is given to Marvel, but I recognize that it comes from childhood love, not from anything inherent in the books as they stand today.)
Then again, I can never tell Coke from Pepsi, either...
BTW, what I like right this minute? Captain America and Secret Six. The twelve-year-old likes She-Hulk and (as of last week) Birds of Prey, 'cause "Batgirl rulez!"
* Yes, I'm generalizing; this was my impression as a pre-teen and I'm sure it wasn't wholly accurate.
Saturday, October 07, 2006
The September Comics, Part 3 [Spoilers]
Iron Man 12, Justice League of America 2, Moon Knight 5, Ms. Marvel 7, Secret Six 4, She-Hulk 11
Iron Man 12
This issue, apparently, is supposed to provide a reasonable explanation for Tony's pro-registration point of view in Civil War. (His own abilities have been controlled by others, resulting in several deaths, and he feels a great deal of guilt at this, and is looking hard for a solution to this possibility in himself and others.) The thing is, registering heroes would do just about nothing to solve this problem--it's not a logical connection. So, a disappointing conclusion to this storyline (disappointing in part because it ended up being a Civil War connection. :))
Justice League of America 2
Not as compelling as the last one, honestly. I might find the Red Tornado storyline touching if I had ever seen the character before now. But I have faith that this book will improve. And it stays on the get list in any case because it's one of the twelve-year-old's choices. :)
Moon Knight 5
I'm not an old Moon Knight fan. I never read the old series. Still haven't. And now, really, I'm not inclined to. Why's that? Marlene. She's the main thing I like in this book--smart, tough as nails, has a heart, and takes no crap. Not what I would have envisioned from what little I knew of Moon Knight before this series. I don't want to read the old books because I'm afraid that the old Marlene might disappoint. (Note that I have no idea whether this would be so--I'm just guessing by the time period that it might be the case.)
Other than that, not so interesting. Once the story picks up that may change, but at this point I've had about as much of tragic brooding Marc Spector as I care for.
Ms. Marvel 7
An attempt is made here to show the positive side of hero registration, at least as Carol perceives it, when the teen heroine Arana is given the opportunity for training. (I do have a small issue with their insistence on informing the parents of powered kids--Arana has a loving, supportive, and apparently accepting father. Not all kids would.) Of course, we're also shown the darker side of registration, as Carol and Simon go after Julia Carpenter on her way out of the country. They don't catch her, but it's clearly a more vicious, potentially-dangerous-to-onlookers battle than the situation would appear to require. What we do see, however, is that Carol genuinely feels she's doing what's right here. Possibly she isn't worrying about the details because of a "just following orders" mentality (possibly I'm thinking that way because I just read Captain America 22), I don't know, but at this point at least she hasn't taken on the "evil" vibe that Stark and Richards seem to be wearing these days.
Secret Six 4
Still enjoying this one. So is the twelve-year-old, who has commented favorably on the artwork compared with that in Villains United, saying that the faces are more expressive. She has a point, although personally I enjoyed both (apart from some of the inflated musculature in VU...) and found Eaglesham's ability to draw large numbers of clearly differentiated characters amazing.
The theme this issue seems to be nasty, nasty revenge. First, Vandal Savage's punishment for Solomon Grundy--making a meal of him for Cheshire and Dr. Psycho. (Presumably the regenerating Grundy will recover eventually.) Also, it seems, a test for the latter two.
And second...the remarkably uncharacteristic pairing of Deadshot and Knockout at the end of the issue? I see two possibilities here, both involving mind control. First possibility (and the one I'm leaning toward), the Hatter, furious at Scandal for daring to touch his beloved hat, voicing his intention of revenge in his usual anything-but-clear phrasing. He could do it. Second, Vandal Savage wants Scandal to return to him, by using her friends against her, by making her despair. What would do this more than a betrayal by her lover? Dr. Psycho could do it, although since he seems to need some proximity (line of sight?) he seems a less likely candidate than the Hatter (although if I'm wrong on the nature of his powers, it could be him as well).
She-Hulk 11
The big reveal this issue (and I've been waiting for it!) is that the reason Starfox's supposedly-short-acting love power is still affecting Jen and John (and Mallory and Andy) is that Andy accidentally absorbed those powers and has been inadvertently exercising them. When he learns this, he shuts them off, not wanting to live a lie, and Mallory immediately reverts to her heartless legal shark persona. Poor guy. :( I genuinely felt sorry for him.
The rest of the book is worth reading as well, just this is the bit that stood out for me.
Iron Man 12
This issue, apparently, is supposed to provide a reasonable explanation for Tony's pro-registration point of view in Civil War. (His own abilities have been controlled by others, resulting in several deaths, and he feels a great deal of guilt at this, and is looking hard for a solution to this possibility in himself and others.) The thing is, registering heroes would do just about nothing to solve this problem--it's not a logical connection. So, a disappointing conclusion to this storyline (disappointing in part because it ended up being a Civil War connection. :))
Justice League of America 2
Not as compelling as the last one, honestly. I might find the Red Tornado storyline touching if I had ever seen the character before now. But I have faith that this book will improve. And it stays on the get list in any case because it's one of the twelve-year-old's choices. :)
Moon Knight 5
I'm not an old Moon Knight fan. I never read the old series. Still haven't. And now, really, I'm not inclined to. Why's that? Marlene. She's the main thing I like in this book--smart, tough as nails, has a heart, and takes no crap. Not what I would have envisioned from what little I knew of Moon Knight before this series. I don't want to read the old books because I'm afraid that the old Marlene might disappoint. (Note that I have no idea whether this would be so--I'm just guessing by the time period that it might be the case.)
Other than that, not so interesting. Once the story picks up that may change, but at this point I've had about as much of tragic brooding Marc Spector as I care for.
Ms. Marvel 7
An attempt is made here to show the positive side of hero registration, at least as Carol perceives it, when the teen heroine Arana is given the opportunity for training. (I do have a small issue with their insistence on informing the parents of powered kids--Arana has a loving, supportive, and apparently accepting father. Not all kids would.) Of course, we're also shown the darker side of registration, as Carol and Simon go after Julia Carpenter on her way out of the country. They don't catch her, but it's clearly a more vicious, potentially-dangerous-to-onlookers battle than the situation would appear to require. What we do see, however, is that Carol genuinely feels she's doing what's right here. Possibly she isn't worrying about the details because of a "just following orders" mentality (possibly I'm thinking that way because I just read Captain America 22), I don't know, but at this point at least she hasn't taken on the "evil" vibe that Stark and Richards seem to be wearing these days.
Secret Six 4
Still enjoying this one. So is the twelve-year-old, who has commented favorably on the artwork compared with that in Villains United, saying that the faces are more expressive. She has a point, although personally I enjoyed both (apart from some of the inflated musculature in VU...) and found Eaglesham's ability to draw large numbers of clearly differentiated characters amazing.
The theme this issue seems to be nasty, nasty revenge. First, Vandal Savage's punishment for Solomon Grundy--making a meal of him for Cheshire and Dr. Psycho. (Presumably the regenerating Grundy will recover eventually.) Also, it seems, a test for the latter two.
And second...the remarkably uncharacteristic pairing of Deadshot and Knockout at the end of the issue? I see two possibilities here, both involving mind control. First possibility (and the one I'm leaning toward), the Hatter, furious at Scandal for daring to touch his beloved hat, voicing his intention of revenge in his usual anything-but-clear phrasing. He could do it. Second, Vandal Savage wants Scandal to return to him, by using her friends against her, by making her despair. What would do this more than a betrayal by her lover? Dr. Psycho could do it, although since he seems to need some proximity (line of sight?) he seems a less likely candidate than the Hatter (although if I'm wrong on the nature of his powers, it could be him as well).
She-Hulk 11
The big reveal this issue (and I've been waiting for it!) is that the reason Starfox's supposedly-short-acting love power is still affecting Jen and John (and Mallory and Andy) is that Andy accidentally absorbed those powers and has been inadvertently exercising them. When he learns this, he shuts them off, not wanting to live a lie, and Mallory immediately reverts to her heartless legal shark persona. Poor guy. :( I genuinely felt sorry for him.
The rest of the book is worth reading as well, just this is the bit that stood out for me.
The September Comics, Part 2 [Spoilers!]
Captain America 21-22, Flash 4, Green Lantern Corps 4, Hawkgirl 56, Ion 6
Captain America #21
After the build-up of the last few issues, the ending was a bit of a disappointment--not bad, just a sort of "is that all there is" feeling. (And that's the worst thing I've had to say about this book since Brubaker took over! :))
I'm glad that the Winter Soldier/Bucky survived, as I think there's a lot of potential in the character and his situation. Both seem to be developing more now, as we now see WS as someone who--outside of his former role as well-equipped, fully-informed assassin--does not necessarily have the latest information or the best preparation for what he wants to accomplish. The addition of fallibility is a welcome one at this point. I also like the reintroduction, even in a very small way, of some of Bucky's personality and sense of humor, as just a bit of the grimness dissipates.
I'm also interested in Lukin, who appears not to be fighting the Skull's influence as much as he did previously--they almost seem to be getting along. It could of course be that in this situation Lukin recognizes that the Skull had the right idea as far as what would benefit them. I'm hoping that the struggle isn't over.
Captain America #22
An issue focusing on Sharon Carter and her personal conflict as a pro-registration SHIELD agent as well as a friend and lover of Captain America, the focus of the anti-registration side. It's not a very sympathetic portrayal of the pro-reg side, but it is a sympathetic portrayal of Sharon, who seems confused by her own actions, even her own feelings for Cap. Possibly a reason for that is revealed at the issue's end. Still, a good Civil War issue, but I'll be glad when all that is over.
Flash #4
This one, I'm afraid, is off the get list. Jay Garrick notwithstanding, he's not enough to maintain my interest when I find everything else in this book so tedious.
Green Lantern Corps #4
Entertaining but not gripping; I'm not familiar enough with Guy Gardner to know whether this level of ill-advised lack of foresight is typical of him, but although his scenes here are a good read, I don't have enough of a connection to the character to go beyond that. The highlight of the issue was Soranik Natu's interaction with the parents of the dead Lantern, and I'm not sure whether Natu on her own makes this book worthwhile for me. I've a few issues still coming but did not include this book in my next order. We'll see how I feel next month.
Hawkgirl #56
This book is gone, gone, gone. It's just a remarkably unappealing book on just about every level I can think of. It really is too bad.
Ion #6
I am, honestly, not liking the ion powers. An "I can do anything" power level rarely works for me in any character, and Kyle's essential likability can only go so far in making up for that. I'll get the whole limited series, of course, but I'm hoping for some changes here.
Captain America #21
After the build-up of the last few issues, the ending was a bit of a disappointment--not bad, just a sort of "is that all there is" feeling. (And that's the worst thing I've had to say about this book since Brubaker took over! :))
I'm glad that the Winter Soldier/Bucky survived, as I think there's a lot of potential in the character and his situation. Both seem to be developing more now, as we now see WS as someone who--outside of his former role as well-equipped, fully-informed assassin--does not necessarily have the latest information or the best preparation for what he wants to accomplish. The addition of fallibility is a welcome one at this point. I also like the reintroduction, even in a very small way, of some of Bucky's personality and sense of humor, as just a bit of the grimness dissipates.
I'm also interested in Lukin, who appears not to be fighting the Skull's influence as much as he did previously--they almost seem to be getting along. It could of course be that in this situation Lukin recognizes that the Skull had the right idea as far as what would benefit them. I'm hoping that the struggle isn't over.
Captain America #22
An issue focusing on Sharon Carter and her personal conflict as a pro-registration SHIELD agent as well as a friend and lover of Captain America, the focus of the anti-registration side. It's not a very sympathetic portrayal of the pro-reg side, but it is a sympathetic portrayal of Sharon, who seems confused by her own actions, even her own feelings for Cap. Possibly a reason for that is revealed at the issue's end. Still, a good Civil War issue, but I'll be glad when all that is over.
Flash #4
This one, I'm afraid, is off the get list. Jay Garrick notwithstanding, he's not enough to maintain my interest when I find everything else in this book so tedious.
Green Lantern Corps #4
Entertaining but not gripping; I'm not familiar enough with Guy Gardner to know whether this level of ill-advised lack of foresight is typical of him, but although his scenes here are a good read, I don't have enough of a connection to the character to go beyond that. The highlight of the issue was Soranik Natu's interaction with the parents of the dead Lantern, and I'm not sure whether Natu on her own makes this book worthwhile for me. I've a few issues still coming but did not include this book in my next order. We'll see how I feel next month.
Hawkgirl #56
This book is gone, gone, gone. It's just a remarkably unappealing book on just about every level I can think of. It really is too bad.
Ion #6
I am, honestly, not liking the ion powers. An "I can do anything" power level rarely works for me in any character, and Kyle's essential likability can only go so far in making up for that. I'll get the whole limited series, of course, but I'm hoping for some changes here.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
The September Comics, Part 1 [Spoilers]
52 17-21, All-New Atom 3, Birds of Prey 98
52 #17
I'm not familiar with Lobo, really (grabby, isn't he?), so his part in the story doesn't interest me so much--but I do like Starfire, and I'm getting to like Animal Man, so their storyline is becoming more appealing on the whole. The Luthor-makes-heroes storyline is only touched upon in this issue, but it's growing on me as well (Natasha as a character doesn't interest me much, I'm afraid, but the team does).
52 #18
The good: Detective Chimp! More Ralph! Montoya skipping out on the ceremony honoring her and the Question for their work in Kahndaq for some drunken debauchery; I continue to find myself more intrigued by Black Adam, although I'm by no means convinced that any of his changes have to do with anything within himself. And Booster's funeral! Gosh, I haven't seen the Blimp since I was a kid reading Inferior Five! That alone made this issue for me! :)
52 #19
This one? Not all that interesting. And I still can't seem to care who Supernova is :). Although I do kind of want to know what happens to Booster Gold ancestor guy.
52 #20
Okay, so Animal Man is pretty cool :).
52 #21
The Infinity Inc. storyline is getting more interesting now that there's evil afoot. But I'm going to be more general here. I'm liking this book more than I expected to, likely because it's mixed up so much. I like the Question/Montoya storyline. Starfire et al in space, all right in small doses. Ralph--well, any amount of Ralph seems to be good. Natasha still appeals to me not at all as a character (although I like her uncle) but the whole "Luthor's heroes" thing is holding my interest now. So...52? Still on the list.
The All New Atom #3
Still liking this book a lot, despite the creepiness factor in this particular storyline. I like Ryan, I like the supporting cast of eccentric academics, I even like Panda's excessive fondness for his Power Girl poster (would love to see what would happen if he ever had the chance to actually meet her--which is possible now that he's hanging with a superhero, after all!). A fun book with a lot of the goofy: stays on the keep list as long as this trend lasts.
Birds of Prey #98
This is our first issue of this book--having heard so many good things about it, I added it to the pull list a few months back--and at this point I'm pleased. The character interaction is great, and the new Batgirl is a hoot, apart from the creepy stalkery thing she's got going there.
Also, this is the only book the twelve-year-old went out of her way to praise this time--she likes the writing. I mean, she specifically said she liked how it was written. Definitely on the keep list. from now on.
52 #17
I'm not familiar with Lobo, really (grabby, isn't he?), so his part in the story doesn't interest me so much--but I do like Starfire, and I'm getting to like Animal Man, so their storyline is becoming more appealing on the whole. The Luthor-makes-heroes storyline is only touched upon in this issue, but it's growing on me as well (Natasha as a character doesn't interest me much, I'm afraid, but the team does).
52 #18
The good: Detective Chimp! More Ralph! Montoya skipping out on the ceremony honoring her and the Question for their work in Kahndaq for some drunken debauchery; I continue to find myself more intrigued by Black Adam, although I'm by no means convinced that any of his changes have to do with anything within himself. And Booster's funeral! Gosh, I haven't seen the Blimp since I was a kid reading Inferior Five! That alone made this issue for me! :)
52 #19
This one? Not all that interesting. And I still can't seem to care who Supernova is :). Although I do kind of want to know what happens to Booster Gold ancestor guy.
52 #20
Okay, so Animal Man is pretty cool :).
52 #21
The Infinity Inc. storyline is getting more interesting now that there's evil afoot. But I'm going to be more general here. I'm liking this book more than I expected to, likely because it's mixed up so much. I like the Question/Montoya storyline. Starfire et al in space, all right in small doses. Ralph--well, any amount of Ralph seems to be good. Natasha still appeals to me not at all as a character (although I like her uncle) but the whole "Luthor's heroes" thing is holding my interest now. So...52? Still on the list.
The All New Atom #3
Still liking this book a lot, despite the creepiness factor in this particular storyline. I like Ryan, I like the supporting cast of eccentric academics, I even like Panda's excessive fondness for his Power Girl poster (would love to see what would happen if he ever had the chance to actually meet her--which is possible now that he's hanging with a superhero, after all!). A fun book with a lot of the goofy: stays on the keep list as long as this trend lasts.
Birds of Prey #98
This is our first issue of this book--having heard so many good things about it, I added it to the pull list a few months back--and at this point I'm pleased. The character interaction is great, and the new Batgirl is a hoot, apart from the creepy stalkery thing she's got going there.
Also, this is the only book the twelve-year-old went out of her way to praise this time--she likes the writing. I mean, she specifically said she liked how it was written. Definitely on the keep list. from now on.
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Three cool things about Ms. Marvel
1. The ambition. I know this is derived from the House of M (she "remembers" herself as the world's greatest/most popular superhero and wants to attain that in the real world as well) but I really like it--the idea of superheroism as a career path in which one can advance by virtue of one's own efforts is an interesting one.
The way she chooses to go about this seems to indicate that she herself is uncertain about what, exactly, she wants--the acclaim? The search for popularity--being a "name"--accounts for her tolerance for the annoying PR woman; she's looking for a way to measure her success. But that's celebrity. Being most popular doesn't mean being best, but improving her performance is a much more difficult and less quantifiable task, so it's not surprising (for someone as literal-minded as Carol can be) that she has taken this path at this point. I'm assuming that somewhere along the way we'll see a more altruistic motivation on Carol's part--the notion that she could do so much more good in the world than she has been--but so far, that's not what we're seeing.
2. The costume. Not the current interpretation with the legs cut so high I don't even want to think about the shaving involved and the sash that's barely attached, but the original Cockrum design where the butt is actually covered. (I know the look is dated, but I can't help it, that's the era of my youth and I still think his stuff looks cool!) Besides, did you see her original costume? The one taken directly from Captain Mar-vell? Except for the bare legs and midriff? And the nasty haircut that almost no one could draw well? Ew!
3. The connections. Ex-military, ex-Avenger, Carol knows everybody. Lunch with Spider-woman in her own book. Playing matchmaker to Jessica Jones in Alias. (I actually very much liked Carol's portrayal in that series--a good person who nonetheless isn't necessarily the deepest soul in the universe, and who has a strong self-centered streak. You never see that in comics, but you see a lot of it in the real world, and it's good to see it reflected here.) Not all superhero team-ups or social meetings seem in character, but Carol's almost always do--they seem natural.
The way she chooses to go about this seems to indicate that she herself is uncertain about what, exactly, she wants--the acclaim? The search for popularity--being a "name"--accounts for her tolerance for the annoying PR woman; she's looking for a way to measure her success. But that's celebrity. Being most popular doesn't mean being best, but improving her performance is a much more difficult and less quantifiable task, so it's not surprising (for someone as literal-minded as Carol can be) that she has taken this path at this point. I'm assuming that somewhere along the way we'll see a more altruistic motivation on Carol's part--the notion that she could do so much more good in the world than she has been--but so far, that's not what we're seeing.
2. The costume. Not the current interpretation with the legs cut so high I don't even want to think about the shaving involved and the sash that's barely attached, but the original Cockrum design where the butt is actually covered. (I know the look is dated, but I can't help it, that's the era of my youth and I still think his stuff looks cool!) Besides, did you see her original costume? The one taken directly from Captain Mar-vell? Except for the bare legs and midriff? And the nasty haircut that almost no one could draw well? Ew!
3. The connections. Ex-military, ex-Avenger, Carol knows everybody. Lunch with Spider-woman in her own book. Playing matchmaker to Jessica Jones in Alias. (I actually very much liked Carol's portrayal in that series--a good person who nonetheless isn't necessarily the deepest soul in the universe, and who has a strong self-centered streak. You never see that in comics, but you see a lot of it in the real world, and it's good to see it reflected here.) Not all superhero team-ups or social meetings seem in character, but Carol's almost always do--they seem natural.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Comics I could live without. Or not.
So, speaking of comic lists and cuts, here's where I actually stand on what I'm getting right now. Keeping in mind that I won't get the last month's books until sometime next week, which means that this might change.
52: Fun book, possibly not a keeper if the chips were down. Although the Ralph and the Montoya/Question storylines do hold my interest.
All New Atom: At this point, a keeper--a wonderfully fun comic!
Captain America: Stays on the list as long as Brubaker is writing it. After that, no guarantees.
Fantastic Four: Hanging on by the virtue of nostalgia--it was the first book young Brainfreeze ever made an effort to buy each and every month, and was my favorite for many opinion-forming years. Otherwise...well, it's not as much fun as it used to be. I'll give until after Civil War, at least.
Flash: The Fastest Man Alive: Very likely to be cut.
Green Lantern: I don't know yet--I've three issues preordered, which should be enough to decide whether I like Hal enough to follow him regularly.
Green Lantern Corps: I do like Soranik Natu, but I'm not sure she's enough to keep me with this one for the long haul. But if comics were to go up in price, it'd be gone, honestly.
Ion: It's a limited-run series so I'll probably buy it all, but right now it's not nearly as much fun as I'd expected.
Iron Man: Will stay on the list unless Tony-in-his-own-book turns into Tony-from-Civil-War.
Justice League of America: Probably a keeper. I tend to like group books, and the twelve-year-old enjoys it it.
Moon Knight: I liked this one a lot at first, but if it doesn't pick up soon I'll be thinking about dropping it.
Ms. Marvel: Nostalgia gives this one tenure, and it'd have to drop in quality a lot before I'd want to cut it.
New Avengers: Not in danger, although I'll be happy when the book is better again.
Secret Six: Enjoying this one a great deal, a definite keeper. (Granted that it's a mini and I've already preordered the lot. :))
She-Hulk: I enjoy this book, but am not connected enough to the characters to say that I'd give it a lot of rope before abandoning it, were it to turn on me.
Supergirl and the Legion of Superheroes: This one is probably closest to gone. I've been thinking about why, and I think it's because, really, this is not the same Legion I grew up with. Not that there's anything wrong with that, and given an unlimited comic budget I'd keep getting it--but as it is, if cuts are going to be made, they'll start here.
Wonder Woman: If the twelve-year-old likes it it'll stay on the list; if she doesn't, it might not.
Young Avengers: Great book, when it happens to come out. Not currently in danger.
52: Fun book, possibly not a keeper if the chips were down. Although the Ralph and the Montoya/Question storylines do hold my interest.
All New Atom: At this point, a keeper--a wonderfully fun comic!
Captain America: Stays on the list as long as Brubaker is writing it. After that, no guarantees.
Fantastic Four: Hanging on by the virtue of nostalgia--it was the first book young Brainfreeze ever made an effort to buy each and every month, and was my favorite for many opinion-forming years. Otherwise...well, it's not as much fun as it used to be. I'll give until after Civil War, at least.
Flash: The Fastest Man Alive: Very likely to be cut.
Green Lantern: I don't know yet--I've three issues preordered, which should be enough to decide whether I like Hal enough to follow him regularly.
Green Lantern Corps: I do like Soranik Natu, but I'm not sure she's enough to keep me with this one for the long haul. But if comics were to go up in price, it'd be gone, honestly.
Ion: It's a limited-run series so I'll probably buy it all, but right now it's not nearly as much fun as I'd expected.
Iron Man: Will stay on the list unless Tony-in-his-own-book turns into Tony-from-Civil-War.
Justice League of America: Probably a keeper. I tend to like group books, and the twelve-year-old enjoys it it.
Moon Knight: I liked this one a lot at first, but if it doesn't pick up soon I'll be thinking about dropping it.
Ms. Marvel: Nostalgia gives this one tenure, and it'd have to drop in quality a lot before I'd want to cut it.
New Avengers: Not in danger, although I'll be happy when the book is better again.
Secret Six: Enjoying this one a great deal, a definite keeper. (Granted that it's a mini and I've already preordered the lot. :))
She-Hulk: I enjoy this book, but am not connected enough to the characters to say that I'd give it a lot of rope before abandoning it, were it to turn on me.
Supergirl and the Legion of Superheroes: This one is probably closest to gone. I've been thinking about why, and I think it's because, really, this is not the same Legion I grew up with. Not that there's anything wrong with that, and given an unlimited comic budget I'd keep getting it--but as it is, if cuts are going to be made, they'll start here.
Wonder Woman: If the twelve-year-old likes it it'll stay on the list; if she doesn't, it might not.
Young Avengers: Great book, when it happens to come out. Not currently in danger.
A small complaint about something I can do nothing about
The thing about not having a local comic shop is that you have to get your comics from somewhere non-local--which is to say, in my case, online.
And the thing about getting your comics online is that you have to pre-order them, I think two months in advance.
What this means is that you can't really make any quick decisions on what you are or are not going to keep getting.
Real-world example: the twelve-year-old is a Hawkgirl fan, due to the cartoon series. I'm looking over the previews a few months back and notice that there's a whole Hawkgirl book! I order it. Of course it won't show up for a couple of months, so I order a couple of more months' worth as well. A few months later Hawkgirl arrives. Holy crap, that is a wretched book! No one here likes it, not even the twelve-year-old who is predisposed to enjoy all things Hawkgirl. But we've still got another two issues coming.
Now, I'm not blaming the system for this. I could almost as easily have preordered one comic, than waited a few months to preorder more (and would be able to back-order the interim issues if it turned out to be worthwhile) if I thought the book was iffy. I, of course, am too impatient to do this, so it's my own damn fault.
No, what I'm complaining about here is that this makes it so hard to cut books! Granted that I was fairly confident that Hawkgirl would continue to suck (and was correct in my assumption). But sometimes you're just not enjoying a book as much as you used to, and you're not feeling good about spending your money on it anymore.
Say, for example, that New Avengers was in the middle of a long, drawn-out, tedious storyline (no! really?) and I decide I have had enough. I don't include it in my next order. Next issue, that story wraps up. Issue after, a new storyline begins, and it's awesome! I reevaluate my decision, and New Avengers is back on my list. Well, excapt that it wasn't on my list for the last several months. Now I have to scramble and order it from the shop when it comes in, which means keeping track of when it comes in. There goes the convenience, right? Maybe it's worth it, maybe it's not.
Note: New Avengers is not on the endangered list, and would have to go a lot further afield before I'd cut it--there's too much nostalgia equity built up there!
The real-world example here, actually, was Legion of Superheroes. I cut it a while back. Then re-added it because I'd heard some good things about the book after they added Supergirl. Right now? Well, I'm looking into cutting some books soon, and it's not on the chopping block but it's sitting in the little cart waiting its turn. It's not a bad book. There's not major suckage ala Hawkgirl (or--ack!--Nightwing, which will be in my comic box again next month thanks to preorders :P) but I'm just not having much fun with it at the moment. Possibly this is a rare case of nostalgia hurting my enjoyment of a current book, when generally it leads me to give a book more leeway than it probably deserves (then again, the Legion has probably been tweaked and revamped and steam-cleaned more than any other book I can think of). We'll see.
And the thing about getting your comics online is that you have to pre-order them, I think two months in advance.
What this means is that you can't really make any quick decisions on what you are or are not going to keep getting.
Real-world example: the twelve-year-old is a Hawkgirl fan, due to the cartoon series. I'm looking over the previews a few months back and notice that there's a whole Hawkgirl book! I order it. Of course it won't show up for a couple of months, so I order a couple of more months' worth as well. A few months later Hawkgirl arrives. Holy crap, that is a wretched book! No one here likes it, not even the twelve-year-old who is predisposed to enjoy all things Hawkgirl. But we've still got another two issues coming.
Now, I'm not blaming the system for this. I could almost as easily have preordered one comic, than waited a few months to preorder more (and would be able to back-order the interim issues if it turned out to be worthwhile) if I thought the book was iffy. I, of course, am too impatient to do this, so it's my own damn fault.
No, what I'm complaining about here is that this makes it so hard to cut books! Granted that I was fairly confident that Hawkgirl would continue to suck (and was correct in my assumption). But sometimes you're just not enjoying a book as much as you used to, and you're not feeling good about spending your money on it anymore.
Say, for example, that New Avengers was in the middle of a long, drawn-out, tedious storyline (no! really?) and I decide I have had enough. I don't include it in my next order. Next issue, that story wraps up. Issue after, a new storyline begins, and it's awesome! I reevaluate my decision, and New Avengers is back on my list. Well, excapt that it wasn't on my list for the last several months. Now I have to scramble and order it from the shop when it comes in, which means keeping track of when it comes in. There goes the convenience, right? Maybe it's worth it, maybe it's not.
Note: New Avengers is not on the endangered list, and would have to go a lot further afield before I'd cut it--there's too much nostalgia equity built up there!
The real-world example here, actually, was Legion of Superheroes. I cut it a while back. Then re-added it because I'd heard some good things about the book after they added Supergirl. Right now? Well, I'm looking into cutting some books soon, and it's not on the chopping block but it's sitting in the little cart waiting its turn. It's not a bad book. There's not major suckage ala Hawkgirl (or--ack!--Nightwing, which will be in my comic box again next month thanks to preorders :P) but I'm just not having much fun with it at the moment. Possibly this is a rare case of nostalgia hurting my enjoyment of a current book, when generally it leads me to give a book more leeway than it probably deserves (then again, the Legion has probably been tweaked and revamped and steam-cleaned more than any other book I can think of). We'll see.
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